Report of the
Committee to Study the Role
of the Ministerial Relations Committee
The committee met three times during the year to study the role of the Ministerial Relations Committee. Through consultation with men who served on the MRC the committee sought to assess the effectiveness of the MRC. Other denominations were researched to discover how they serve the needs of their pastors and churches.
The denominations investigated were Christian and Missionary Alliance, Christian Reformed Church, Conservative Baptist Church, Presbyterian Church in America, and United Presbyterian Church USA. All of these groups provided a higher level of service to pastors and churches than the Bible Fellowship Church does. In each case adequate care of pastors and churches is the purpose, though the role and title of the ministry varies.
Discussion with men who have served on the MRC since its inception revealed that the MRC has been able to provide a high level of service to pastors and churches in times of crisis. Each man was concerned about the MRC’s ability to keep sufficient contact with pastors and churches to promote the kind of relationships that help to avoid pastor-church crises. When crisis intervention has taken place, pastors on the Committee were able to step in because their churches allowed them to serve the denomination at the expense of their church ministry. Such sacrifices are to be lauded, but pastors and boards of elders may not always be expected to subsidize our collective work.
We conclude the Bible Fellowship Church should enhance its ministry to pastors and churches. This could best be accomplished through creation of the position of Conference Pastor.
Enhanced ministry to the churches would consist of offering greater service when churches seek pastors, assessing needs related to pastoral staff expansion, or consulting in how to strengthen the ministry of the church. Enhanced ministry to pastors could include provision for regional pastor meetings, periodic visits with every pastor, and meetings as requested by pastors, pastoral relations committees, or boards of elders who desire to consult with the Conference Pastor.
It is our opinion that a Conference Pastor would provide valuable service even as a part-time position in the beginning. We believe this man could be found among retired BFC pastors or pastors engaged part-time with a church or ministry.
Funding for this position would be supplied through the Conference Administrative Budget and would be recommended by the MRC.
It is our recommendation that the following changes be made in the by-laws:
Resolved, that the following legislation be placed in the Faith & Order (First Reading):
512-14.3 Conference Pastor
The Conference Pastor shall be an ordained minister of the Bible Fellowship Church. He may, at the discretion of the Ministerial Relations Committee, serve either full-time or part-time.
He shall be elected for a three-year term by the Ministerial Relations Committee and his election shall be ratified by the Annual Conference. He shall not be a member of the Ministerial Relations Committee but shall serve under the direction of the committee, where full authority shall reside.
Duties
(1) He shall, in the performance of his duties, work according to policies and directives of the Ministerial Relations Committee.
(2) He shall, as requested by the committee, represent the Ministerial Relations Committee in its dealings with pastors and churches.
(3) He shall be a pastor to the pastors in order to encourage the men and to maintain a harmonious relationship between each church and pastor.
(4) He shall meet with boards of elders and pastoral search committees to aid them in their search for a pastor. He shall:
(4.1) Be knowledgeable of men available as potential candidates, including men newly licensed by the Ministerial Candidate Committee.
(4.2) Communicate to potential candidates information on open churches.
(4.3) Keep pastoral search information current.
(5) He shall encourage ongoing ministry training for pastors, including regional ministeriums for pastors and wives.
(6) He shall be available as a resource to local pastoral relations committees in the fulfillment of their duties.
(7) He shall be available to meet with boards of elders for consultation, evaluation, and advice.
Committee to Study the Role of the Ministerial Relations Committee: L. James Roberts, Jr., Chairman; Byron Widger, Secretary; W. David Armstrong, Jr.; G. Daniel Beaver; David J. Watkins.